GUN METAL MAX is a brilliant short film that takes the audience on an exciting sci-fi adventure. So impressive is this film – it feels like a summer blockbuster.
Written and Directed by Jonathan Brooks, this high caliber film and its attention to detail is superb. In only 11 minutes, this filmmaker leaves the audience wanting more – much more.
The film opens up with the rich voice of Gun Metal Max (David L. Strickland). This superhero brings us into the story, reciting the words that scroll before us on screen.
“My first memories were of heat and steam as my metal shell cooled. I awoke with a hunger for the end of all things dark and a love of all things light, but I was forged on a dark world overrun by the unstoppable Shadow. “
We learn that Gun Metal Max can travel into alternate dimensions – which gave this filmmaker the ability to cross both worlds – reality and fantasy – into one. This superhero explains his mission – “to find a weapon that could end the darkness, and bring back the light.”
The core of the film focuses on the imagination of a young boy, Ben, and his ability to discover adventure. Eliot Milward captures, beautifully, both the heart and imagination of Ben.
The film has a wonderful retro feel that takes you back to the 80’s – boombox and all – with music by Timecop 1983. What makes this place in time the perfect choice, is that it’s a time when children played and used their imaginations – rather than their computers and ipads. It takes you back to a simpler time when a child’s imagination could go to alternate worlds – all with just a favorite superhero figure.
The film takes place in Ben’s basement. Set, lighting and sound design are a perfect blend. The cinematography stunning (Ian Coulson), along with the score (Patty Walter). For a short film, the suit for Gun Metal Max (James Francis) looks like it was made on a Hollywood set.
From the opening of the film to the creative closing credits, this filmmaker takes you on a visual journey with a lot of heart.
When Gun Metal Max reaches out his hand to Ben, it’s a poignant moment in the film. All audience members will agree…we hope this is just the beginning of their journey.
